Research group promises multi-gigabit wireless within three years

Researchers at the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) have released …

Researchers at the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) have released results demonstrating multi-gigabit wireless data transfer rates of 15 Gbps at one meter, 10 Gbps at two meters, and five Gbps at five meters. They claim they expect to see the technology debut in just two to three years. This last claim seems optimistic, given that the 802.11n standard has been a work in progress for three years and is currently expected to be finalized in 2008, but the concept of 15Gbps wireless could revolutionize data transmission and computer setups...

...or not. The GEDC team uses the 60GHz band for data transmission, but use of an ultra-high frequency creates problems of its own. Transmitted power is extremely low (~10 milliwatts), and the signal itself cannot penetrate human skin. This creates obvious line-of-sight problems for any 60GHz system (the 60GHz standard will be called 802.15.3C) and would only allow for the creation of a PAN, or Personal Access Network, where all communicating devices were close together and had direct line-of-sight.

At the moment, the GEDC group is focusing on increasing data transmission, with a goal of doubling transmission rates by next year. Cutting power consumption and maintaining backward compatibility with previous 802.11x standards are also on the table for the design team, with the latter preserved through the use of single-input-single-output / multiple-input-multiple-output technology. ECMA will meet in October to finalize a 60GHz standard, with the IEEE also set to weigh the 802.15.3C standard in the coming months.

"Our work represents a huge leap in available throughput," said Stephane Pinel, a researcher on the project. "At 10 Gbps, you could download a DVD from a kiosk to your cell phone in five seconds, or you could quickly synchronize two laptops or two iPods."

There's no denying that high-speed wireless connections could transform traditional wired setups, but overcoming the line-of-sight issues looks to be a major hurdle. In order to become ubiquitous, ultra-high frequency wireless will have to demonstrate an ability to maintain a signal from room to room and not merely when two devices are within inches of each other.